Gut-Gobbler
Deck List The enemy deck may contain: (See Enemy Deck for more information.) Alphabetical Table Transcript Gushkuar's lungs burned. His legs ached. He leaned against the tree, panted, and unsealed his waterskin. The first gulp was sweet divine nectar in his mouth, but his body almost crumpled. A tightness spread across his chest, as though infernal hands were squeezing his organs. He'd drunk too fast, and could only groan as he waited for it to pass. In his youth Gushkuar had been as fit as any boy in the tribe. But those days were long past. He was a medicine man now, his body unaccustomed to such exertions. It had been many years since he'd run at all, let alone for his life... He raised the skin again, and looked behind him as he drank. The forest was beautiful, dressed in the burnished gold finery of autumn. Those of its leaves still borne on branches formed a russet canopy above, mirrored by the carpet on the ground beneath. To Gushkuar it was even lovelier, not because of what was present but by virtue of was absent. There was no sign of the Eagle. Maybe he'd lost the trail after the medicine man destroyed the bridge, or else he'd tried to swim the river and its powerful current had swept him away -- perhaps even drowned him in its rushing water. The thought made Gushkuar grin. For days he'd lived in fear of this pursuer's weapons. Each moment he'd expected an arrow to fly from the the heavens and take him, or else for a hooked blade to flash from the shadows. Tuari, the Eagle, was a relentless, ruthless hunter -- especially to those who stole from the tribe. And the medicine man had stolen something so very precious... He patted the artifact at his hip. It seethed, like a fierce animal about to snap at its master's hand. Such power... And it still hadn't yet realized the fullness of its potential. But it would soon. Gushkuar would complete his work, accomplish the goal for which he'd forsaken his tribe and risked his life. The medicine man took another drink. Then he spluttered, coughing and spraying water. Footsteps, crunching through the leaves! He leaned around the tree, keeping his body hidden behind the broad darkness of its trunk. But it wasn't the Eagle. Gushkuar exhaled and cursed in the same breath. Just a family of wretched peasants -- a plump mother and father, and a pair of scampering children. The man had a bow in his hand, but it wasn't meant for the medicine man. He was aiming it at black-feathered form some distance away. The peasant fired his arrow. It went so wide of the target that the turkey didn't even look up form whatever thing on the ground fascinated its bobbing head and tiny mind. His children moaned and tugged at his breeches. The woman shushed them whilst the man took another shaft from his quiver. Gushkuar glared. Perhaps he'd destroy all of them for startling him... Something moved at the very periphery of his vision. His head snapped round. Then his eyes narrowed, and it was his turn to moan. A tall, broad-shouldered form clad in dark garb approached across the forest, down the long path between the russet trees. The man's skin glistened. The single strip of hair that adorned his head was plastered to his skull. Tuari had mad it across the river! Damn him! He was too far away from Gushkuar to make out his eyes. But when the hunter halted, the medicine man knew he'd sighted his quarry. Gushkuar's entire body groaned. He wasn't ready for another flight through the forest. And the Eagle was far fleeter of foot. He had no hope of escaping by swiftness alone. Tuari broke into a run. A child's cry -- for the peasant had missed the turkey yet again -- threw desperate thoughts into the medicine man's mind. He untied the artifact from his belt with frantic, fumbling fingers. The Eagle hurtled towards him, fallen leaves crouching beneath his boots. The horn's power wasn't at its zenith yet. Gushkuar couldn't unleash it on the hunter himself. But a creature with a stupid, avian brain... It was possible... Tuari pulled the hook-bladed sword from his belt as he ran. The medicine man could almost feel the bloodlust that gripped both weapon and wielder. He blew the horn. Darkness spewed forth. The peasants screamed, as a black-feathered monstrosity screeched at the heavens. The Eagle halted. The medicine man grinned. Tuari's code wouldn't allow him to leave the peasants to their meleagrine fate. The Eagle reached for his bow. Perhaps he hoped to bring Gushkuar down with a shaft before he engaged the abominable beast his sorcery had created. But the medicine man slipped behind the tree, beyond the weapon's reach. Then he ran, grinning at what he'd wrought. If fortune favored him, the brave hunter would perish at the beast's beak and talons. Gushkuar would be left to complete his work... *** "Is that..." you begin. "It's a giant turkey," Tessa says. IF she can see it too, you're not hallucinating. That's some comfort at least. But it raises many questions. Of all the things you expected to encounter on your trek through the forest, this didn't number among them. But the children's cries of terror banish such things from your mind. First you'll help slay the beast, then you'll find out what's going on. You draw your weapon and charge alongside your companions. Overall Reward Category:Mega Brawl Monsters Category:Monsters